John C. Gardner was a poet, novelist, dramatist, translator, and teacher who died in 1982. Gardner was raised just outside of Batavia, New York, attended school through eleventh grade in Alexander, New York, and graduated from Batavia High School in 1951. The author of many novels, he also wrote three influential works on the art of writing—On Becoming a Novelist, The Art of Fiction, and On Moral Fiction. Many of his students, such as Raymond Carver and Charles Johnson, have had successful publishing careers. Additionally, Gardner translated texts from the Middle Ages, wrote fairy tales (such as "Dragon, Dragon") and plays (including Days of Vengeance written for his mother, Priscilla), composed operas and librettos, and played the French horn.